Hello friends! We recently had the honor of bringing back one of our esteemed alumni Chantelle, who is currently a member of LA Shisa Taiko, to teach us the basics and groove of eisa style drumming!

Often appearing like a hybrid between dance and drumming, this form originates in Okinawa, and brings an entirely new style of performance, from the way the drum (paranku) is hit, to the way you move your feet. It is definitely one of our most energetic and unique pieces, and is a style that we are proud to perpetuate in our repertoire. Look out for an eisa piece at our Spring Concert in April!

A couple weeks ago, Kazan had the honor of performing with Japanese singer/artist Ki-Yo at Rage nightclub in West Hollywood! In addition to taking part in the filming of his music video, several Kazan members performed an original accompaniment to Ki-yo’s songs that night at the club. (Check out our Facebook page to see clips of the event!) It was a lot more crowded than we had expected, but also so much more exciting than we could have imagined! It was a great night the merged the best of both artistic performance and a fun night out, and is definitely an experience we won’t soon forget!

Hello everyone!! We hope the winter break was as enjoyable and relaxing as you had hoped! Kazan is back in school for the spring semester, and we wasted no time getting right back into practice mode.

However, coming back from nearly a month off is pretty difficult, so to help ease ourselves back in to the semester, Kazan went on a weekend retreat down to San Diego! Our first stop once we arrived was a group lunch at Phil’s BBQ, which was the perfect meal to refresh us after the two hour drive down. After that, some of us went exploring, while others scouted the local beaches and parks for the perfect afternoon photoshoot location.

One of the best parts of the retreat though was the curry dinner cooked by Kazan members Shoko and Richard! It was absolutely delicious, as attested to by the fact that nearly everyone had seconds.. or thirds… or fourths.

The next day, Kazan members enjoyed a rousing and beautiful morning hike to really take in the natural beauty of the area before heading back to the concrete metropolis of L.A. The retreat was a definite highlight for all our members, and we hope that it will be the first of many more such retreats to come!